THEY "guarded" the old Bolton Royal Infirmary for well over 100 years -- and now they're set to become historic monuments in the Millennium.

The stone pillars at the entrance to the old hospital off Chorley New Road are scheduled for a facelift.

Four years ago the patients and medics left to relocate to the area's main hospital, the former Bolton General, and the historic old buildings were razed to the ground. Now the stone pillars are to be cleaned and restored. A spokesperson for Bryant Homes, who now own the land, explained that the pillars are actually listed and will definitely stay.

"They are to be cleaned up and restored, and a dwarf brick wall in the same sort of material is to be built," she said.